Found a used set up for $2300, Is it worth it?
-Honda GX390 4GPM 4000PSI (he says pressure pump is a CAT)
-BE 20’’ Surface cleaner
-SEAFLO 5.5GPM roof pump w/ 15Gal tank and 200’ hose
-200Gal tank
-hose reel
-200’ of hose
-jrod tips
and a few other pieces of equipment such as wand and tips chemical bypass and gutter cleaning equipment. Was just wondering if this would be a good deal seeing as im just starting out. Opinions??
Nope. 4 gpm is useless for washing. BE makes a horrible surface cleaner and 24 inches is too big for most machines. Cat pumps suck.
Just re read that surface cleaner is 20, not 24 inches, but it is still a BE. If you are starting out, $6-10k is a good starting budget, minus vehicle.
All used I’d price that out about around 1500-1600 or so unless it’s coming on a skid/trailer, innocent is right though probably not the type of equipment you want and you could probably source all that equipment new for only a couple hundred more
“Worth” is a matter of opinion, and since I have no experience, mine isn’t worth much(I wouldn’t buy this setup though).
If you want to get a better idea what you should look for in a setup, read the “Pressure Washing 101 Guide” thread in the newbies section, it has a section on equipment as well.
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Yes I had edited to 20’’ because i got wrong info… but i have been reading about BE. Do you have any experience with that surface cleaner? And why do you say 4gpm is useless?
A 4 gpm machine isn’t useless it just won’t clean near as fast as a 5.5 gpm or 8 gpm. You can almost double your income with a larger machine if you’re able to fill the schedule.
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What are you trying to accomplish with pressure washing? Full time business, part-time, weekend warrior?
Sounds good if everything is in working order and lasts long enough to make so money.
4 gpm will get the job done. But you should really have a 5.5 +. Just need tanks for it. 4gpm you don’t really need a tank. Depends on your budget.
Part time business, just starting out working to be full time eventually. I have a lot of down time with my full time job so when I can I pick up extra jobs so im still in early learning stage. This setup is from my buddy who does it full time hes looking to upgrade
Why do you recommend a water tank?
And im trying to accomplish standard house washing and driveways etc. Working my way up to roofs when i get a better understanding of my equipment
You can do house washing with a 4. It’ll be slower but guys do it.
Surface cleaner is too big for your machine. I’d leave concrete alone for now. If you don’t know the potential dangers with concrete, then you’re not ready for it.
That equipment would give you a good taste to see if power washing is for you.
I’d focus on house washing at first.
You got some reading under your belt but you need another 2-3 readings days before really knowIng what you’re getting into.
Everything you need is on this forum. You really don’t need to supplement at this point especially since much of the fb and YouTube is junk advice.
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A water tank isn’t for hauling water it so you can bypass water to cool the pump when off the gun. Otherwise, if something comes up to where you have to stop for a 5 minutes or so, you always have to run back to the gun to squeeze it every minute so the pump stays cool. Also, if you ever get on a house with a low water supply such as a well you have a buffer of water so you won’t starve your pump and damage it. Say you’re doing a house on a well that only puts out 5 gpm. You’re fine as long as nobody else in the house is using water. If someone decides to run a load of laundry or the dish washer your pump is not being fed less than 4 gpm. The buffer tank will continue to fill at less than 4 gpm minute but it will still be feeding your pump the 4 gpm that your pump requires. You just have to be sure to glance at your buffer tank on occasion to make sure it’s not low. You’ll know the second you run low though but try and not let that happen.
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$1500 max. If you want it I’d offer $1200-$1300.
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Great advice thank you. What are the potential dangers with concrete? Ive done a handful of driveways and the homeowners were very satisfied with my work. Using a box 2.5gpm from homedepot and 15’’ surface cleaner with no issues other than slow progress…
You can etch the concrete. Then you have a BIG problem on your hands because that can’t be undone.
You have to be especially careful with concrete under two years old.
The challenge with the big box store surface cleaners is that you can’t (or can’t easily) put different nozzles on. Nozzles have different orifice sizes.
You replace the nozzles to get the psi that you want. Most people think you can just blast away at concrete. Not true. You don’t need more than 2500psi. And, again, in some situations that’s wayyyy too much.
I was there for awhile using a 2.5gpm cleaning concrete. I was the proverbially “Chuck in a truck”…except I didn’t have a truck. lol.
In hindsight I was very blessed to 1) not mess up any concrete. (One quote…if I would’ve won the job…I know now I would’ve etched the concrete. So thankful I didn’t win that job.) 2) I didn’t do many dirty driveways so I was always able to get them pretty clean since they weren’t dirty to begin with.
Hopefully you’re pre-treating and post-treating the concrete and not just using water.
You should at least bump up to a 4gpm machine. Remember, GPM is king not psi.
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Yes I am/ have been pre treating but not post treating. Ive read on here some guys say its a waste of chemical to post treat. But yes I understand i have been lucky and I will keep that in mind.
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Unless if it extremely dirty pre treatment is enough for me more often than not, if I can still see black or surface cleaner streaks left in the concrete when I am done I will post treat but that is not very often
